Business Commons^™

Predictors Of Enrolling In Online Courses: An Exploratory Study Of Students In Undergraduate Marketing Courses, Renee J. Fontenot, Richard E. Mathisen, Susan S. Carley, Randy S. Stuart

Faculty Articles

An exploratory study of undergraduate students enrolled in marketing courses at a Southeastern regional university was conducted to determine the motivations and characteristics of marketing students who plan to be online learners and examined for differences between those who have taken and those who have not taken online classes. An online survey of Likert scales, openended questions and demographic questions was sent via class learning management websites. A total of 165 students of the 438 invited to participate completed the survey. A structural model was developed using SMART-PLS to estimate the relationships of constructs that predict taking online courses. Results …

A Measure Of International Managers' Mindset, Kamal Fatehi, Fariborz Ghadar

Faculty Articles

This paper aims to identifying managerial mindset by constructing a cognitive or integrative geocentrim index. Going international is either an extension of successful domestic business operations or a requirement for remaining competitive. It is imperative for firms to be a part of the international market. Therefore, firms should want to know how internationalized are their operations. To gain such knowledge requires measuring the degree of internationalization, which, in turn, is related to “managerial mindset”.

Drip - Data Rich, Information Poor: A Concise Synopsis Of Data Mining, Muhammad Obeidat, Max North, Lloyd Burgess, Sarah North

Faculty Articles

As production of data is exponentially growing with a drastically lower cost, the importance of data mining required to extract and discover valuable information is becoming more paramount. To be functional in any business or industry, data must be capable of supporting sound decision-making and plausible prediction. The purpose of this paper is concisely but broadly to provide a synopsis of the technology and theory of data mining, providing an enhanced comprehension of the methods by which massive data can be transferred into meaningful information.

Eco-Friendly Or Eco-Frenzy? A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Companies’ Environmental Decisions, Sandria S. Stephenson, Natalie Rodriquez

Faculty Articles

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and analyze the incremental costs of businesses becoming “green.” It answers the overarching question: are businesses becoming eco-friendly or eco-frenzy? For the purposes of this paper, eco-friendly is defined as companies that strive to be environmentally conscious. Conversely, companies that are eco-frenzy become environmentally conscious for the wrong reasons, such as gaining an environmental reputation. With the increase in popularity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the legal requirements related to environmental laws, more businesses have been incorporating the ideas of sustainability into their strategic positioning. At the start of the 21st …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Leadership Behaviors, Perceived Team Cohesion And Team Performance, Alvin Miles

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

In an effort to help explain more of the variance in team performance, studies examining the effects of leadership upon team performance have included a limited number of contexts (Antonakis, Avolio and Sivasubramaniam, 2003; Tejada, Scandura and Pillai, 2001). This study is the first to empirically examine the relationship of leadership styles to team cohesion, and team cohesion to team performance utilizing the nine-factor version of the full range of leadership theory (transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and no leadership typologies) in the context of professional sports. Further, it empirically measures the perceptions of official members of the sports league ecosystem …

Wink, Wink, Nudge Judge: Persuading U.S. Courts To Take Accountants Seriously In Federal Securities Cases, With Help From The U.K. Companies Act, Kurt S. Schulzke

Faculty Articles

The 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers reopened wounds many thought were healed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002. The Lehman litigation finally ended in late 2013 with audit firm Ernst & Young paying $99 million to investors who claimed the firm misled them with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Other defendants, including banks, officers, and directors, paid out more than $500 million. The bright line standards of GAAP and SOX were obviously not enough to protect Lehman plaintiffs or defendants. Why not? The 2006 fraud trial of Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling offers clues. When asked at trial whether U.S. …

The Franchisor/Franchisee Relationship: The Antecedents And Outcomes Of Perceived Franchisor Support, Mary Kay Rickard

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

Franchising is an organizational system that provides the franchisor with needed capital for expansion and the franchisee with expertise and knowledge to operate a local outlet (Windenhausen & Joyce 1977). It is, therefore, one of the approaches firms are turning to in order to increase their business. Franchising is more complex than a traditional business relationship because it is legally binding (Bernstein 2004). Moreover, the complexity of this relationship warrants a closer look from the perspective of the franchisee since it is the franchisees’ perception of the work environment which has an effect on their motivation and satisfaction with the …

Are All Shares Equal? A Measure Of Secondary Agency Conflict And An Examination Of Its Influence On Investor Reactions To Acquisition Announcements, Christine C. Sutton

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

The separation of ownership and control has been established as the source of primary agency conflict between managers and shareholders. The research presented in the chapters that follow explain how the combination of ownership and control also represent a significant problem for many dispersed shareholders. Prior research has argued that conflict among principals is pervasive in all types of corporations and may be detrimental to all the firm’s stakeholders. Scholars have investigated the relationships, but there existed no comprehensive and validated instrument to analyze the extent of the inequity among the various firm principals. In the following chapters, a composite …

A Comparative Analysis Of Training, Mentoring And Coaching In The Sales Environment: Evaluating The Impact Of Personal Learning On Role Ambiguity And Organizational Commitment, Shalonda K. Bradford

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

The move towards a more knowledge-intensive sales market has increased the complexity of the sales job. Salespeople must continuously learn and grow to meet the evolving demands of the job. A critical concern for organizational leaders becomes identifying learning strategies to encourage salespeople to apply what they learn. Researchers have advanced multiple studies on the learning needs of salespeople, yet there is not a consensus as to the most effective mechanisms to increase learning transfer in the sales environment. To determine which knowledge tools better prepare the sales force for success, this study investigates whether training, mentoring and/or coaching is …

Modeling Diversity Management Practices In Corporate Ethics: The Spillover Effect, Yves-Rose Saintdic

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

Little is known about the relationship between workplace diversity and corporate ethics even though these two initiatives share similar ethical roots (Alder & Gilbert, 2006), and are quite popular in corporate America (Kochan, Bezrukova, Ely, Jackson, Joshi, Jehn, Leonard, Levine, & Thomas, 2003; Murphy, 2001). This study seeks to contribute to knowledge in these two areas by assessing whether diversity’s contributions to firm performance are maximized through its effects on the firm’s ethical processes. Using data that were collected on a sample of Fortune 500 firms, this study tested several hypotheses with predictor variables that represent two manifestations of diversity …

Absorptive Capacity And Ict Adoption Strategies For Smes: A Case Study In Kenya, Joshua R A Ndiege, Marlien E. Herselman, Stephen V. Flowerday

The African Journal of Information Systems

Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries continue to be challenged by their information technology (IT) adoption process, which is often characterized by a number of deficiencies. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of absorptive capacity (AC) in SMEs’ performance, as well as establish the correlation between SMEs’ AC and their IT adoption process. The findings of this study, obtained by measuring different dimensions of AC using Jimenez-Barrionuevo, Garcia-Morales, and Molina’s scale of 18 items, suggest that AC plays a critical role in the performance of SMEs in Kenya and that SMEs with strong …

Constructing Frugal Sales System For Small Enterprises, Oludayo O. Olugbara, Brenda N. Ndhlovu

The African Journal of Information Systems

In the current study, the authors report on the application of the design science methodology to construct, utilize, and evaluate a frugal information system that uses mobile devices and cloud computing resources for documenting daily sales transactions of very small enterprises (VSEs). Small enterprises play significant roles in the socioeconomic landscape of a community by providing employment opportunities and contributing to the gross domestic product. However, VSEs have very little access to innovative information technologies that could help them manage their challenges that are restricting their effective growth, sustainability, and participation in a knowledge economy. The results of a field-evaluation …

Improving Career Development In Students By Developing Job Analysis Skills, Robin Cheramie

Faculty Articles

One of the main goals of business school education is to prepare graduates for employment after graduation. However, many managers complain about the lack of communication skills developed in many graduates seeking employment in the job market (Abraham & Karns, 2009). This paper describes the experiential exercise designed to help students complete the process of job analysis to be used for hiring or other Human Resource functions. Besides learning the process for describing jobs, students discover external resources that can help them develop more effective resumes and interview skills. Results from a student satisfaction survey of this exercise and pre-test/post-test …

Reducing Cheating Opportunities In Online Test, Dale Varble

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract

This paper focuses on reducing cheating opportunities of online test assessment. Increasing use of online test in all course presentation formats (online, blended/hybrid or facilitated) has elevated faculty concerns of cheating. Efforts by educators to reduce cheating have been ongoing and with some success but, as the results of a study reported here more is needed.

Two sections of a course, one online and one onsite were offered the same semester, with the same instructor, syllabus, textbook and tests. The online students took all tests online. The onsite students took all exams online except the last two tests and …

Designing Experiential Learning Projects For Teaching Marketing Courses, Intekhab (Ian) Alam

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Business schools are putting more emphasis on the improvement of teaching and learning methods to better prepare their graduates and meet the industry demands. This improvement has been sought through the use of face to face teaching approach blended with industry projects and experiential exercises. This study reports on a similar effort initiated in teaching the international marketing course in an undergraduate business program. An experiment is conducted in which a combination of face to face classroom and experiential learning project is used. Through this experiment, the author describes a semester-long, international marketing project that is structured to elicit active …

Virtual Study Abroad: A Case Study, John Lipinski

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Over 90 percent of US universities sponsor study abroad programs. Students are encouraged to engage in such programs to enhance their educational experience and increase their global awareness in our interconnected world. However, despite these efforts, students who engage in such programs are a rarity. Only 1% of US students pursue a study abroad experience each academic year. In order to address this and make key aspects of the study abroad experience available to a wider range of students, two professors decided to link their classrooms, separated by 5,102 miles, via teleconference and create a virtual study abroad class.

The Investigation Of Product Involvement In Shopping Behaviors Among Male College Students, Jung-Im Seo, Grace W. Namwamba

Atlantic Marketing Journal

We investigated the clothing shopping behaviors of male college students. This study is significant because there is limited published research on the shopping behavior of male college students in the area of two correlative product involvement and store type and yet, there is a large increase in market share of male apparel products. Male college students (n=285) were surveyed via questionnaire. MANOVA and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. This research revealed that male college students are highly concerned about their physical appearance and clothing. The findings of this study demonstrate that male college students have unique …

Forecasting Demand: Sensitivity Analysis Of Financial Assumptions Using Ms Excel, Gary B. Roberts, Kirk C. Heriot

Atlantic Marketing Journal

According to research on entrepreneurship education, the creation of a business plan is the most popular teaching method (Solomon, 2007). Textbooks in the field will often have a chapter devoted to the contents of the business plan and separate chapters about important elements of a business plan such as marketing, finance, and operations. Instructors must prepare their students for arduous task of writing all of the parts of the business plan within a team.

One of the most challenging aspects of a business plan is the financial projections. Clearly, if an entrepreneurial team intends to present their plan to a …

A Sound Idea: A Theory-Based Synthesis And Explanadum Supporting The Use Of Music In Marketing Strategy, Anthony H. Kerr, Neel Das

Atlantic Marketing Journal

A review and synthesis of research literature regarding the role and influence of music on advertising effectiveness and in-store shopper moods and behavior is presented. A conceptual model is presented, with strong theoretical support found in classical conditioning, information processing, involvement, and mood states literature. The authors posit that a retailer should use a dual, concomitant music strategy as a component of an overall advertising and in-store marketing promotion plan. This strategy is presented in what the authors refer to as the Music Affect Model. While using the positive affects of music on consumer purchasing behavior as its core source …

Like It, Love It, Or Gotta Have It: Relating Materialism And Attachment, Rebecca Dingus

Atlantic Marketing Journal

No abstract provided.

A Process-Focused Method To Accelerate Sales Skill Development, R. Charles Viosca, K. Chris Cox

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Role-play scenarios have long been used for developing selling skills. This paper examines how role-play scenarios affect the learning process and proposes an innovative, process-focused method for accelerating skill development. Drawing insights from Cognitive Load Theory, it is hypothesized that complex role play scenarios—while perhaps more realistic—inhibit initial skill development. Alternatively, simpler scenarios make it possible to increase cognitive load germane to the selling process, and accelerate development of selling skills. A preliminary test of this hypothesis provides support for the process-focused method. The paper includes suggestions to further increase the effectiveness of the process-focused method.

The Moderating Role Of Mindfulness In New Product Evaluation, Mary E. Schramm, Michael Y. Hu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Mindfulness has the potential to affect new product evaluation since consumers with a higher propensity for mindfulness are more likely to notice and accept differences between existing and new products. This research references piecemeal/category-based processing theory to study the moderating effect of individual mindfulness on information processing in the presence of product category knowledge. We find that mindfulness does not have a direct effect on processing style. However, mindfulness does moderate the relationship between product category knowledge and processing style. Understanding underlying factors during information processing provides important insights for marketers as they implement marketing strategies.

African E-Government Research Landscape, Jean Vincent Fonou Dombeu, Nelson Rannyai

The African Journal of Information Systems

Over the past decade, African governments have followed the worldwide trends towards establishing e-government with the aim of improving public service delivery to citizens through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). As a consequence, authors from academia, government departments and agencies, civil society, industry, non-governmental and international organizations have embarked into e-government research focusing on Africa. However, the state of the art of e-government research in Africa is poorly documented. This study analyzes the status of e-government research in Africa. A qualitative technique based on online searches and literature reviews is used to collect data that have addressed …

Predicting The Presence Of Chief Marketing Officers (Cmos) On Top Management Teams And The Moderating Influence Of Cmo Presence On The Relationship Between Firm Visibility, Market Power, And Industry Orientation And Firm Performance, Laurie Renee Hodge

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

In response to increasing demands on firm performance, organizations have attempted to become more consumer and market responsive by adopting industry conventions, such as appointing a chief marketing officer (CMO) to the top management team (TMT). However, scholarly research on the presence or absence of a CMO, and the relationship between the presence of a CMO on the TMT and firm performance is nascent and conflicting. Thus, the purpose of these studies was to address these issues. First, using institutional theory I empirically examined the conditions of firm visibility, firm market power, and industry orientation to predict CMO presence / …

The Role Of Mentoring On Outcome Based Sales Performance: A Qualitative Study From The Insurance Industry, Minna Rollins, Brian N. Rutherford, David Nickell

Faculty Articles

This study explores informal mentoring on outcome-based salesperson performance. Mentoring is believed to play an important role within corporations, yet little empirical evidence exists on its impact on salesperson performance. The authors interviewed salespeople of an international insurance company regarding mentoring and sales performance. Using a qualitative research approach, the authors explored a mentor's influence on the sales performance of the prot g . The findings suggest that mentoring contributes to salesperson performance in numerous ways. Specifically, mentoring salespeople early in their career can benefit all parties; prot g , mentor, and organization. In addition, mentees will often become mentors …

Information Security Governance For The Non-Security Business Executive, Michael Whitman, Herbert J. Mattord

Faculty Articles

Information security is a critical aspect of information systems usage in current organizations. Often relegated to the IT staff, it is in fact the responsibility of senior management to assure the secure use and operation of information assets. Most managers recognize that governance is the responsibility of executive management. The primary objective of governance can be achieved when the members of an organization know what to do, how it should be done, as well as who should do it. The focus on governance has expanded to include more aspects of the organizational hierarchy to include information systems and information security. …

Identifying Critical Success Factors: The Case Of Erp Systems In Higher Education, Billy Mathias Bm Kalema Dr, Oludayo O. Olugbara Prof, Ray M. Kekwaletswe Prof

The African Journal of Information Systems

This paper reports on a study that uses a combination of techniques to formally characterize and determine the critical success factors influencing the effective usage of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, with special reference to higher education institutions. The thirty-seven ERP success factors identified from the literature are classified into: Critical, Active, Reactive and Inert categories. The classification of decision factors can generally support organizations to explore their current challenges and to adequately prepare decisions in a more participatory way for future endeavors. This study suggests a possible alternative that decision makers should take when a factor or a set …

Behavioral Finance: Factors Influencing Angel Investor Decisions, Robert C. Forrester

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

Angel investors are individual investors who invest in high-risk projects without the assistance of professional portfolio advisors and are an important source of early-stage entrepreneurial financing. When providing financing, an angel must decide how much time to spend on due diligence, the amount of wealth invested, and the degree of post-investment interaction with entrepreneurs. As they are individual investors, angels may be particularly influenced by behavioral factors. In order to provide insight into the investment decisions of angel investors this dissertation examines angel investor and deal characteristics including demographics, experience, perception of the management team, the source that led the …

Innovating The Marketing Curriculum: Establishing An Academic Major In Internet Marketing, Betty J. Parker

Atlantic Marketing Journal

No abstract provided.

Electronic Reverse Auctions (E-Ras): Professional Selling And Purchasing Students' Reflections E-Sourcing Principles, Jacqueline A. Williams, Kathryn Dobie

Atlantic Marketing Journal

No abstract provided.